Grain-sprouter



L. R. OAKES.

GRAIN SPROUTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG-3|, I920.

' '1 ,s92,o21. Patentedfiepf 27,1921.

- INVEIII'OR. vLUCIAN H. CAKES.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUGIAN R.- CAKES, 0F TIPTON, INDIANA. I

' GRAIN-SPROUTER.

of the invention is the provision of a plurality of pans or receptaclesfor holding the grain, preferably oats, one above the other so as toprovide an increased capacity while at the same time requiring but aminimum amount of space in which to place the sprouting device.

A further feature of the inventionis the provision of a frame structurefor supporting the plurality of pans or receptacles, said framestructure being so formed that it will cause a minimum shadow whenexposed to the rays of the sunf i A further feature of the invention isin so constructing the supporting frame that extensions may be readilyattached thereto for increasing the supporting capacity thereof, wherebyan additional number of the pans or trays maybeprovided.

further feature of the invention is in so constructing the parts of thesupport that the support can be manufactured at a mini mum expensewithout lessening the support ing" strength'thereof, said support beingpreferably constructed of sheet metal and having parts struck therefromfor engage ment with slots in the rims of the pans for securelysupporting in place. r

A further feature of the invention is in so constructing the pans thatf'when water is poured into the uppermost pan for dampening the grainthe excess moisture will gradually percolate through the grain in thesucceeding pans below the uppermost pan thereby causing the grain in thevarious pans to sprout when exposed to the rays of the sun.

Other objects and advanta es will be hereinafter more fully set fort andpointed out in the accompanying specification.

and holding the pans Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

Application filed August :21, 1920. Serial No. 407,216.

In the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device ready for use showing bydotted lines the manner of increasing its capacity,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view seen on line 3 3,- Fig. 2,]and on anenlarged scale,

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of one of the supports for thesprouting frame,

and

of one of the grain recelving pans or trays.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designatecorrespondmgparts.throughout the several views, 1

Fig.5 is a'fragmentary perspective view indicates a supporting framecomprising a base 2 and vertically extending standards 3, said base andstandards being preferably formed of sheet metal and being preferablychannel-shape in cross sections. The standards 3 are preferably soarranged that the height thereof may be increased or decreased asdesired, one section of the standinterfitting or having slidingconnection with the preceding'standard, and the upper ends of theuppermost standards are preferably connected together by cross bars 4L,these bars extending from one'standard to the other and are connected tothe ends of the standards in any preferred manner, as

by means of bolts5, and as the cross bars are preferably angular incross section they form a perfect brace for the upper ends of thestandards.

Supportedbetween the standards 3 are a plurality of pans or trays 6, thenumber of said pans depending upon the height of the standards 3, and inorder to quicklyattach the pans to or detach the same from the standardsthe rims 7 of the pans are provided on diametrically opposite sides ofthe pans with elongated slots 8 throughwhich extend the verticalportions 9'of substantially L-shaped brackets 10, these brackets beingpreferably formed by striking out portions of the body of the standardsand bending these struck out portions substantially L-shaped, the lowerend of the brackets being integral with the standards. By arranging thebrackets in this manner the rims 7 of the pans 6 rest upon thehorizontal portions 11 of the brackets while the vertical portions 9 ofthe brackets will securely hold the pans against movement between thestandards, except when the pans are lifted to disengage the same fromthe brackets.

In applying the device to use the pans are arranged one above the otherand in spaced relation so that the rays of the sun may readily come incontact with the grain within the pans, and to simplify the matter ofmoistening the grain after the pans have been set up, the bottoms of thepans are provided with a plurality of perforations 12, so that byplacing water in the upper pan the excess water will gradually descendthrough the various pans and dampen the grain in all of the pans, and ifpreferred an unperforated pan may be placed below the tier of pans andrested upon the base portion 2 for catching any excess of the water.

In this form of device the base and standards, although formedpreferably of sheet metal, are so constructed that but two standards arerequired for supporting the trays or pans, consequently, but a minimumamount of surface is presented for casting a shadow over the grainwithin the pans, and furthermore, the support is so arranged that theposition thereof may be readily shifted for causing the rays of the sunto come in direct contact with all of the grain within the various pansand cause the grain to sprout uniformly. hen additional standards areprovided the end of each succeeding standard is entered within thechannel portion of the preceding standard and lowered until the firstbracket on the addi tional standard rests upon the top of the precedingstandard, thereby avoiding the necessity of bolting or otherwisefastening the standard and its extension together, and when theuppermost ends of the uppermost standards are secured together throughthe medium of the cross bars 4 and the pans are securely engaged withthe brackets on the standards a substantially rigid structure will beprovided, so that it may be readily shifted from place to place orturned from side to side for obtaining the best results i from the raysof the sun.

It will be seen, therefore, that this device can be very cheaplyconstructed and yet rendered extremely strong and durable, and when inset-up position will occupy but a mimimum amount of space, at the sametime providing a maximum capacity for sprouting purposes. Likewise, itwill be seen that when the parts are to be stored away they can bereadily disconnected and assembled in very compact form.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a grain sprouting structure, standards attached to said basestructure, each standard being formed of device, a base telescopingsections, grain sprouting pans and means on said standards forsupporting said pans, said supporting means lnniting the telescopingaction of said standard forming sections.

2. In a grain sprouting device, a base, standards arranged on oppositesides of the base, means for increasing the height of said standards,cross bars for connecting the upper ends of the standards, brackets onthe inner faces of said standards arranged in series, and grainreceiving pans interlocked with said brackets and in spaced relation oneabove the other.

3. In a grain sprouting device a pair of supporting standardsdiametrically opposite each other, means for extending the height ofsaid standards, a plurality of brackets integral with the standards, andgrain receiving pans having opposed slots through their rims adapted toengage with said brackets. V

4. A grain sprouting device comprising a pair of opposed standards,means for increasing the length of said standards, a plurality ofbrackets having one of their ends integral with the standards, and grainreceiving pans having slots in the rims thereof adapted to fit over andinterlock with the free ends of the brackets.

5. A grain sprouting device comprising supporting standards formed insections, said sections having sliding engagement with each other, meansfor connecting and bracing the upper ends of said standards, bracketsattached to said standards, and a plurality of grain receiving panshaving slots in the edges thereof for engagement with said brackets.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand andseal at Indianapolis,Indiana, this 28th day of August, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty.

LUOIAN R. OAKES. [1,. s.]

Witnesses:

CAREY S. Fnrn, M. L. Srromm.

